The porcelain-coated cast-iron grates reduce flare-ups by shielding the flames and channeling grease and drippings around them while still allowing ambient heat to brown between grill marks. In our tests, burgers from the Q 1200 had the most seared surface area of all the burgers we grilled, and more browning means better flavor. They’re commonly constructed from thin porcelainized steel with thin wire-rod grilling grates. Charcoal grills’ simple construction is what makes them budget friendly.
With consistent heat distribution, the Char-Broil can sear steak and burgers and also slowly cook chicken to juicy and crispy perfection. We put four beef hamburgers on each quadrant of the cooking grate to determine whether the grill was hotter in the back, sides or front. We seared the burgers for three minutes, turned them and using a digital meat thermometer, cooked them to medium-rare, between 140°F and 145°F.
But at least there’s a barrier to keep hot embers from falling on your patio or deck. A swiveling metal handle tightly holds the grill together for easy transporting. Latches on Blackstone Adventure the front of the Char-Broil Grill2Go make it easy to carry one-handed. We enlisted fresh bratwurst links to gauge each grill’s ability to handle a grate full of fatty meat.
The Spirit also has a unique device that attaches to the propane tank and indicates the level of propane gas inside the tank. The temperature gauge is located on the front of the hood, so it’s easy to see the grill’s internal temperature even from across the patio. The five-burner Char-Broil also has a side burner with 10,000 BTUs, which can be used for sauteing onions or peppers or making a pan sauce for your grilled meats and vegetables. Despite being classified as a budget grill, the Char-Broil actually offers many benefits not normally found on budget Monument grills. Aside from being very affordable, the grease pan is larger than the ones you will find on even higher-end barbeques.
We did notice, however, that the Spirit was slightly hotter in the back of the grill and less hot on the left side. We accommodated this discrepancy by shifting food towards the center or far right, when we wanted to sear the steak. We spatchcocked a whole chicken, cut it in half and seasoned each half with Kosher salt and black pepper. Then we turned off two or four burners, depending on how many burners each grill had, and cooked the chicken with indirect heat by putting the chicken on the unlit burners for 30 minutes. When the leg and thigh were cooked through, we transferred the chicken to the lit burner and crisped up the skin until it was golden brown. Have a rusty, old, or damaged handle on your gas grill that needs replacing?
Think of portable gas grills as small, outdoor, propane-powered ovens. The push-button ignition and the temperature-control dial should be easily accessible and clearly marked so you can quickly start the grill and adjust the heat without fumbling. However, this 40-pound portable grill isn’t lightweight by any stretch of the imagination. The cooking area is about 300 square inches primary and 100 square inches on the warming rack. Try the Blackstone 36 Stainless Steel Griddle for something bigger. But what’s great about the Char-Broil is that it comes with a stainless steel lid and side shelves and enclosed storage which add up to extra space for your tools and a hidden LPG tank.